Girlfriend guilty of wife murder
A student has been found guilty of murdering the pregnant wife of her secret boyfriend.
Harmohinder Sanghera, 23, of Solihull, West Midlands, stabbed 17-year-old Sana Ali 42 times in a "ferocious" attack at her home in Bury, Greater Manchester.
She had been having an affair with Mrs Ali's husband, Sair Ali, who is 25.
Manchester Crown Court heard Sanghera killed Mrs Ali after Sair Ali lied about his wife and her pregnancy. Sanghera has been jailed for life.
'Extreme distress'The dentistry student was ordered to serve at least 14 years before being considered for release.
In sentencing, Judge John Saunders told Sanghera: "She (Sana) was trying to make her marriage work and she was 11 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, a fact of which you were well aware.
"You waited until you could be sure nobody was in the house. You tried to disguise her death as suicide. That was unsuccessful because she fought to save her life."
He said of Sanghera: "The degree of distress that she was acting under was extreme."
The court heard that the murder was "born of jealousy and desperation" after Mr Ali lied about his marriage, and then his wife fell pregnant.
Mr and Mrs Ali were cousins and their marriage was planned from childhood.
Sanghera met Mr Ali through mutual friends in 2005, but he did not tell her he was engaged and used their different religions - Mr Ali is Muslim and Sanghera a Sikh - as a reason for them not to be married.
Earlier this year, after Sanghera found out he was married, the court heard she agreed to be his "second" wife.
They entered into a relationship referred to as a "Mu'ta" - a temporary form of marriage for a certain period of time, which was due to run out days after Sanghera killed Mrs Ali in her home.
She travelled from her West Midlands home on 11 May 2007 when she knew Mrs Ali would be alone.
Mrs Ali let her into her home and upstairs Sanghera stabbed her 42 times, inflicting a deep wound to her abdomen while doing so. Both mother and child died at the house.
Det Supt Jane Antrobus, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "This is an absolutely tragic case.
"Sanghera was jealous and desperate and went to incredible lengths to try to save her relationship the result of which was this horrific murder."
Mr Ali said: "When we were told of Sana's death it ripped our hearts apart. We were in shock and disbelief.
"The loneliness and emptiness in our hearts and lives are indescribable."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/manchester/7116731.stmPublished: 2007/11/29 14:21:49 GMT